The Norwalk River Watershed
Initiative--What is it?
Fall is here, and the Norwalk River Watershed Initiative is well underway. The purpose
of the Initiative is to protect and restore the natural resources found within the Norwalk
River watershed. To do this, participants in the Initiative will be developing a Watershed
Management Plan. The authors of the Plan are the members of the Norwalk River Watershed
Initiative Committee (the Committee or NRWIC). Members of the Committee include watershed
residents, local officials, interested organizations, and state and federal
representatives. Early on, the Committee decided it was necessary to form four
subcommittees in order to better focus on the issues affecting the watershed. These are Education
and Stewardship, Habitat Restoration, Land Use/Flood Control/Open Space,
and Water Quality. In June, the Committee held a series of public meetings to
gather input on their initial goal statements and prioritized lists of issues. Comments
were then taken back to the subcommittees over the summer to allow for further refinement
of these.
At present, the Committee is undertaking the toughest part of any planning
process...reaching consensus on the goals and objectives. However, once this task is
completed, they can work to establish the intermittent steps needed to achieve these. In
order to check their progress, the Committee will be holding additional public meetings to
discuss the directions that the Plan is taking. However, until these dates are set,
interested individuals are welcome to attend any of the Committee meetings set for the
third Thursday of each month. It’s your chance to get involved in something that will
impact where you live and work, and where you go for long walks on a fall afternoon.
For more information on the Initiative, the next Committee meeting,
and how to get involved, Contact Lisa Carey, Public Outreach Coordinator for the Committee
at (203) 327-9786. Or write to her c/o Save the Sound, 185 Magee Ave., Stamford, CT 06902.
Or E-mail savethesound@snet.net.
Committee Notes
For the past few months, the subcommittees have met to review public comments obtained
from both the public meetings and the surveys that were sent to interested residents.
Revisions were made to the goal statements, and the issues and interests were further
prioritized based on public input. The following is a brief summary of proposals being
considered by the full Committee.
v Education and Stewardship
Chair: Dan Porter (203) 894-8438
The goal statement for education and stewardship remains unchanged based on feedback
from the public: To educate citizens about: 1) the boundaries and functions of the
Norwalk River Watershed; 2) the specific needs for protection of and improvement of the
river system;3) the benefits of a healthy watershed to individuals and communities; and 4)
the opportunity for the public to speak out on issues, and to participate in the
stewardship of the watershed. The subcommittee is currently developing an educational
campaign by creating information packets for watershed residents and businesses. They are
also exploring the possibility of having watershed awareness as a curriculum component
within watershed school systems.
v Habitat Restoration
Chair: Pat Sesto (203) 834-9255
This subcommittee also reviewed public comment and finalized their goal statement: To
restore and conserve habitat features to protect and increase the diversity of floral and
faunal species. Members are currently collecting more information on high quality and
degraded habitat sites within the watershed by contacting land trusts, municipalities and
environmental groups. Discussion has also focused on riparian zone preservation and
restoration (this zone is a buffer of vegetation that would normally grow along a
river’s banks), and the need to establish a minimum width requirement for such a
zone. And the subcommittee is researching appropriate sites for the re-establishment of anadromous
fish passage (fish that migrate from salt water to fresh water to spawn) and cold
water fisheries.
v Land Use/Flood Protection/Open Space
Chair: Dick Carpenter (203) 866-5543
Based on public comments, this subcommittee revisited their objectives within the three
issue areas. To date, they have agreed that setting performance standards for different
types of development would be the best approach to ensure compatible development that
would not adversely impact the watershed. An update was given on work that the CTDEP is
doing with the watershed municipalities to implement a flood warning system. They are also
exploring the feasibility of creating coordinated town open space plans and funding for
open space purchases.
v Water Quality
Chair: Dave Dunavan (203) 847-5354
The goal of "protecting surface and ground water by developing a plan to
achieve an improvement in water quality in the watershed" remained unchanged
during the public comment process. The committee is focusing on the non-point pollution
problems in the watershed. They are: trying to determine the causes for accelerated eutrophication
(i.e., greening) of lakes and ponds in the basin; investigating the need for an
incentive-based model ordinance for septic system maintenance for town-wide
adoption; and researching potential best management practices for use by
residents, businesses, and municipalities. The subcommittee is also working on developing
a water quality monitoring program for the Norwalk River and its tributaries.
Note: For more information on subcommittee goals and objectives, please contact
the appropriate subcommittee chair people listed above.
Funding for the 18-month Initiative is provided by the US EPA, the USDA-Natural
Resource Conservation Service, CT DEP, the Village Bank and Trust Corporation, and the
seven watershed towns.
Please contact Lisa Carey at (203) 327-9786 or write her c/o Save the
Sound 185 Magee Ave., Stamford, CT 06902 if you wish to have your name removed from the
mailing list.
 United States Environmental
Protection Agency
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